"The Government of Canada is committed to helping workers prevent accidents and injuries in the workplace. Everyone deserves to return home safely at the end of their workday," said Minister Raitt to the participants gathered at the 42nd OSWCA Annual Conference in Ottawa. "We depend on the skills of our workers to increase our country's productivity and economic competitiveness. Let's keep that workforce strong and healthy."

The latest figures compiled by the Labour Program show that in some industries under federal jurisdiction, the number of injuries and fatalities in the workplace show significant spikes in January, February and March

"Each year at this time, we at the Labour Program are informed of workers losing their lives in workplace accidents because of winter conditions," added Minister Raitt. "Employers and employees must take all possible measures to protect themselves, particularly during the winter season. We need to work together to understand workplace hazards, identify potential dangers and find solutions to issues that threaten our health and safety."

The OSWCA has been representing sewer and watermain construction contractors across the province for more than 35 years, and currently serves over 700 companies.